


For King and Country

by Scrotuscus



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: BAMF Alec Lightwood, BAMF Magnus Bane, Eventual Smut, Good Parabatai Jace Wayland, Knight Alec Lightwood, Lightwood Siblings, M/M, Midieval AU, Prince Magnus Bane, Protective Alec Lightwood, Protective Jace Wayland, Protective Magnus Bane, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:00:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21542617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scrotuscus/pseuds/Scrotuscus
Summary: When Alexander Lightwood is summoned from the Kingdom of Alicante to become Prince Magnus Bane's Knight, Magnus is sure that this must be a part his father's twisted political schemes. But as to what role the honest, blunt, and stupidly adorable man is supposed to play, and to what end, he can't seem to discover. What he does know is that the boiling political tensions and hidden answers are more important than letting himself fall hard for someone he can't even be sure he can trust.In the span of a single week Alec Lightwood finds his whole world turned inside out as he is chosen to pay the debt for a crime he never committed. Nevertheless, he is determined to fulfill his new role to the best of his ability. The kingdom of Edom is entirely different from Alicante in nearly every way, and he is glad to at least have his siblings to support him. The hardest challenge, though, seems to be the Prince himself. The man is coy and beautiful like Alec has never known, and it becomes harder and harder to keep focus on what he is here for. Alec can't let himself forget though, after all, it isn't to save his own he's trying to save.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Isabelle Lightwood, Alec Lightwood & Jace Wayland, Magnus - Relationship, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 18
Kudos: 174





	1. Chapter 1

Several years ago, and despite the illegitimate impurities in his blood line, Magnus Bane was named as Crowned Prince of the Kingdom of Edom; and ever since the moment he first began to learn of his destiny, he has excelled at rising to meet it. He was instructed by royal tutors from the time he could walk, and he’s learned not only the complicated web of policies within his own kingdom and others, but he knows it all by heart, and can speak to each Kingdom down to its very roots. He can recite the proper execution of manners in any situation that is posed to him by his teachers, and perhaps even with added flair. He is well versed in all of his regular legal duties, and though it has not been long at all since his coming of age, he handles them all with ease. It is no stretch to make the claim that Magnus might just be the most promising future ruler that Edom has ever known.

  
But for just once, Ragnor Fell wishes that his young student would actually choose to behave like the heir to the throne that he is. It certainly would save his old teacher quite a lot of time and stress. He ties his horse up outside of _Pandemonium_ , the largest tavern in the kingdom, and, to the embarrassment of the crown, the safest bet of finding the Prince on any given evening. From down the road Ragnor could hear the laughter and music, and even as he tries to wedge himself through the clusters of drunken patrons around the front door while touching as few people as possible, it only takes him moments to find Magnus.

  
_Pandemonium_ boasts having the largest drink selection and dance floor of any of their competitors, and the walls of the establishment are lined with large booths filled with plush couches and pillows. Each booth is equipped with heavy velvet curtains for the option of privacy, or as much privacy as one can have in the sea of sweaty masses that come to dance under the candle lit chandeliers. The largest booth lies in the center of the left wall, and the curtains there are never closed. It’s Magnus’ favorite place to entertain, the tables there buried beneath half drunken bottles and glasses, with lavish furniture covered in pillows.

  
Ragnor spots Magnus there quickly, slouching luxuriously on a long couch. There are people curled against him from either side, whispering to him and holding drinks from him to sip. His shirt is open to his navel, his legs open. His hair is wild on his head, and his eyes are splashed with bright arrays of color. With a roll of his eyes, Ragnor approaches the booth. Neither of the guards posted to either side of the booth move to stop him, though they do nod in greeting. Their movement draws Magnus’ attention, and he smiles drunkenly at his teacher.

  
“Delightful to finally see you out and about, Ragnor.” He purrs in a silky tone.

  
“Wish I could say the same for you, your highness.” Ragnor replies flatly. “I’ve come to remind you that the Knighting ceremony rehearsal is tomorrow and it’s time to return to the castle.” Magnus rolls his eyes and heaves a sigh, and Ragnor raises his eyebrow as he waits to hear the arguments he’s already heard several times in the past weeks. Thankfully, this time Magnus seems to bite his tongue.

  
“Ladies and gentlemen, good evening.” Magnus says as he stands. He takes one young woman’s hand on his way over to his teacher and kisses it. As she giggles and blinks seductively at him, he slides his drink into her hand. “For you, my dear.”

  
“Anytime you’re ready, my lord.” Ragnor urges. The festivities around them only serve as a head aching reminder of all of the preparations that are still needing to be done back at the castle, and when that is finished, of all of the silence Ragnor will have to enjoy when it’s all over and he can finally sit down to enjoy a book in his own time.

  
“I’m here, Cabbage, no need to frown so severely.” Together with the guards they move back through the crowd, a task made only harder by all of the people who want to catch the Prince’s attention, and are eventually able to slip back out into the cool night air. As the noise of the pub falls away, though, Ragnor can now very clearly hear Magnus has changed his mind about complaining. “I still stand by what I said of this a week ago. And the week before that, and the week before that, and oh, yes, the week before that as well. So many fortnights, Ragnor, I’ve been telling the court that our country is recovering from war, and these old rituals are nothing more than superfluous and wasteful.”

  
And on some level, Ragnor can’t help but agree. The Uprising only ended a mere twenty years ago, leaving the land of Edom and its people deeply scarred. Of all of the habits of the old ways to be clinging to, this ceremony seems more of an appeasement to the eldest of the King's advisers than a necessary preservation of the rights of the crown. And yet, it’s also one of the more harmless rituals Ragnor can call to mind, and a good show of power to the now lesser, weaker, and broken kingdom that will be dragging itself to the castle with its head lowered and tail tucked between its legs.

  
Magnus doesn’t seem to need reminding of all of this though. He keeps sloppily murmuring to himself as he climbs onto his mount and takes the lead of their small party back to the castle.

  
“Control, this all about control,” Magnus bemoans, finally speaking loud enough for Ragnor to hear. “My father would have everyone in the Kingdom thinking this about Alicante, and taking some prodigal son to live as a servant. Oh, what a great and wise patriotic king. But it’s not just about that, is it?” Magnus sends a very pointed look at his teacher, who only raises and eyebrow in return. “It’s about controlling me.”

  
Ragnor sighs. He thinks of his books. His pile of papers on his desk that need his attending to. “I don’t deny that the King is a man who is able of making choices for a variety of reasons, my lord.” He weighs his words carefully before speaking, “But I caution you against assuming that you know all of them, or that you classify priorities in the same way.”

  
Magnus isn’t as drunk as he wants Ragnor to believe he is. He looks sideways at his teacher for a moment, taking in his words and considering them in silence. He looks disappointed that Ragnor hadn’t revealed any more information than that, and Ragnor is proud of his student’s intuition. There is so much that has already been decided, so much that is out of the beloved Prince’s control, but Magnus is wise beyond his years, and cleverer than he sometimes allows himself to appear. There is still a very good chance that Magnus can come out on top, if he keeps his head this sharp. As they pass through the castle gates and a stable boy relieves both men of their horses, Magnus bids a stiff goodnight to his mentor. As he leaves, Ragnor only hopes that in the future he can offer his prince less restricted advice as he returns to his own chambers to continue his work.

Alec Lightwood was almost entirely unused to actually being among royalty. Though the Lightwoods had been a part of the court of Alicante for generations, their presence had become all but nonexistent in recent years, since his parents pardoning for siding with the rebellion of the Circle. Maryse had raised her children with all of the education that any other Duke or Duchess in the kingdom would receive, but the seclusion that came of their being relegated to a large manor in the mountainous wilderness of Idris meant that there hadn’t been much opportunity to use it.

  
As it stood, Alec fared well in nearly everything he’d been taught about politics and leadership. It came as a natural result of being the eldest child, and therefore spending many hours of his youth with his father. It was the rest of his time, however, that Alec was much more comfortable with. He trained in swordsmanship and hand to hand combat with his adoptive brother Jace daily. He was an excellent archer, and the long afternoons he spent hunting and moving around the forests of their land had solidified his knowledge of survival and camping.

  
Alec liked the quiet that came from nature. He found peace in moments on the summit of a mountain, staring across the land and breathing deep the fresh air. He found satisfaction in occasionally besting Jace in hunting, discussing herbs with his sister, Isabelle, and novels with his youngest brother, Max. He even liked going to town with his siblings to buy the weekly supplies.

  
But the small town that was an hours ride from his family home didn’t hold a match to the large, glistening capitol city that was Alicante. It had been years since the Lightwoods had last seen it, as Alec had only been a baby when the war had ended, and it was very rare for Robert to be allowed to bring one or any of his children along with him in the months he spent there to oversee his duties.

  
Alec himself had only stayed in the city on a handful of occasions, and even still the sweeping architecture took his breath away. The city was sprawling and bustling. Vendors lined the streets and people in the hundreds moved about a mess that looked to Alec like chaos, but must have had at least some kind of order, since it seemed to flow around him effortlessly. Isabelle was beside herself as she sat next to him in the carriage, looking out the windows and cooing at the fashions and the shops. Jace was looking at the women and the bars, and though he’d look at Alec and raise his eyebrows at some of them, he kept his comments to himself. This was Max’s first time to Alicante, and being only nine, he had no need of having his mind poisoned by his brother’s perversions.

  
The small boy was tucked under their mother’s arm, who sat tall and was silent for most of the ride. He leaned as much as he could to try and peer out at the city, and seemed to be growing ever more frustrated at their mother for holding him back in his seat. Maryse hadn’t returned since she had been pardoned, and Alec wondered if she was nervous. It wasn’t like her to be so, and Alec wasn’t even sure that if she were that she would ever show it enough to let her children catch on. Robert was slightly more relaxed than his wife, but the tense line of his shoulders served as a reminder that this was not one of his normal trips. After all, his regular business didn’t involve bringing his entire family with him to the castle by order of the Queen of Idris.

  
When their carriage finally reached the tall white castle, there had been a servant waiting to pull the door open for them and assist them all out, and another to show them through the halls of the caste to the throne room, where Queen Imogen was waiting. It was that moment, as they walked under towering ceilings bathed in the light of the glowing stained glass windows and through the large ornate doors to where Queen Imogen and her advisors, the large board known as the Clave, sat in a large tiered half circle formation of dark clothes and cold eyes, Alec realized he was entirely out of his depth among royalty.

  
His brother must have felt the same way, because Jace took up a spot close to him as their father greeted the Clave and their Queen respectively. The whole family bowed in one motion, and when Alec looked up at her, he saw no sign of warmth in the Queen’s face. She looked down at the Lightwoods with a severe posture and a stern scowl. A heavy quiet settled in the room. Maryse pulled Max closer to her with the one hand she kept on his shoulder.

  
“Lightwood family,” Queen Imogen spoke, “You have been called to the court on this day with an expressed purpose. Do you understand why it is that you are here?”

  
“Your Royal Highness,” Robert responded, bowing again lightly, “I’m afraid that the letter sent to us was unclear in the intention behind our summons.” Queen Imogen scoffed, and Alec’s brow furrowed.

  
“Our kingdom, after many years of bitter war, has finally returned to a time of peace.” The Queen’s voice was booming, her words sharp, and it echoed around the large marble room, “But this peace is unstable and fragile, and I, as Queen, must do everything in my power to sustain the future of Idris and its people. Do you not agree?”

  
“Of course, your Majesty.” Robert said.

  
“Your family once fell in line with our enemy, Valentine Morgenstern, did it not?”

  
“It was a grave mistake made by myself and my wife in the foolishness of youth, your Majesty.” Robert’s voice lacked the cadence of control Alec was used to hearing. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as the Queen’s eyes flickered across his family, meeting his eyes for one long moment before she continued.  
“So it would seem. It was during your trial twenty years ago, Robert Lightwood, that we made a deal. I did not banish you or your wife. I did not execute you or your wife, despite many other of your co-conspirators meeting such a fate. Do you remember why I agreed to this?”

  
“My son.” Robert’s voice was quiet. Alec felt a steely cold settle in his stomach. “Alexander had committed no crime, and I swore than he and the rest of my children would be raised to be as loyal to the crown as a perfect member of the court ought to be, your Majesty.” Jace shuffled a bit closer to Alec still, and Alec was grateful for it.

  
“Exactly.” Queen Imogen seemed pleased with the answer. She raised her chin and took a deep breath. The Clave, who’d been silent up until this point, eyes locked and burning on Alec’s family, seemed to lean forward in their seats. “And now it has come time for your family, and your son, to prove that dedication. Magnus Bane of Edom has come of age, and it is a common practice among his people for a Knight to be chosen to swear their undying loyalty to him and protect him until death. It has taken place in generations before that the knight be chosen from a neighboring kingdom in a sign of good faith. King Asmodeus has given us the grace that for his only son a knight would be chosen from the kingdom of Idris. I have promised as Queen to put forth a candidate that would not fail in his duty to Edom or to Alicante. Alexander Lightwood is chosen for this task. This is the final payment of your mistakes, Lightwood family. Alexander Lightwood must go to Edom and present himself as ready and prepared to become the Royal Knight to Prince Magnus Bane until the time of his death.”

  
Queen Imogen spoke with a finality and settled deep into Alec’s bones. He blinked rapidly at her, and then at his father, who looked ashen. He turned to his mother, whose grip on Max had gone bone white, her jaw clenched hard, eyes forward. His stomach fell to his feet, and his hands trembled.

  
“Victor Aldertree will explain the details of this arrangement,” the Queen said, and motioned to a dark skinned man whose smile was as unnerving as it was sharp. The Speaker of the Clave, he must have been. Alec’s whirring mind lagged behind him as the Queen spoke one last time. “You will have three days to make arrangements for your travels. You are dismissed.” And then Queen Imogen stood from her throne and made her way from the room with a cold, precise grace, and as the rest of the Clave filed out after her till they were alone, and Victor Aldertree approached them.

  
“There is a room just across the hall that is appropriate for us to finalize the details,” He said, “Let us make our way there.” He brushed past the family, reaching for the door.

  
“Alec,” Izzy was at his side almost instantly, gripping his arm with both hands. “We’ll figure this out, okay? Together. I promise.” Semidetached, Alec looked down at her. Her jaw was trembling, but her eyes were fierce. He placed one hand over hers and opened his mouth, but he wasn’t sure what to say.

  
“This way, please.” Aldertree called from the door, where his parents and Max had already gone, with only Jace and Izzy lingering back with him. Alec dropped his hand and let his feet carry him out into the grand hall. Jace dropped a heavy hand to Alec’s shoulder as he passed, and kept it there as they were lead across the plush carpets of the hall to a large circular room. Inside was a dark wooden table lined with empty chairs. “It is not common for women to be a part of these discussions,” Aldertree was saying “Nor children, for that matter. However, the Queen thought it pertinent that your whole family be present to hear the final decisions, since your clan is so small now.”

  
“Of course,” Maryse spoke quickly, voice soft, “We are grateful.”

  
“Now, Her Highness covered the main points, but the situation is slightly more complicated than she stated. For instance, Prince Magnus Bane of Edom became of age during the war, and he has been acting as heir to the throne already for some time. The appointment of a Knight was never made so as to focus on the threat that Valentine Morgenstern posed to all of our kingdoms, so it is unusually late. However, that does not mean that the ceremonies will be treated as such. It is still very important to the royal family of Edom, and to her Highness, that this affair be treated as if it were all in accordance to their traditions. The only other exception to this is Alexander, himself, as he has no official Knight’s training.”

  
“Why my son, in that case?” Robert asked, “Surely there are other, more capable Knights to put forth to the King of Edom, if peace is a delicate as the Queen stated.”  
Aldertree’s smile vanished in a moment, and he gave Robert a sharp look. “We lost most of our best in the war, I’m afraid, and those who have survived are aging to the point to be useless to the Prince in a matter of years. Alexander is of a good age to begin training, which he will do after arriving in Edom. He is trained in swordsmanship and other forms of battle, is he not?”

  
“He is.”

  
“And does he not know of the ways of the court, and how to behave in the presence of royalty?”

  
“He does.”

  
“Then he is as fine a candidate as any other.” Aldertree said. He turned to Alec then, though he continued to talk about him as if he wasn’t in the room, “Though there are other motives in the choice for Alexander specifically,” He allowed, pleasant smile right back in place. “Edom’s trust in our kingdom is the true nature for the delicacy of our peace. They fear we still harbor sympathizers to the rebellion, and the situation of your family is often called specifically into question. By sending your son, the Queen wishes to express a complete display of renouncing, once again, anything to do with the vile nature of Valentine. It was his loyalty you have promised, and it will be his loyalty that will prove to the King of Edom that the past is behind us.”

  
“What about my family?” Alec asked, “As the eldest, it has always been my duty to take over after my father and provide from them as he has done.”

  
“Your _duty_ is not for you or your father to decide, it is for the Queen to decide, and this is what she has called upon you to do. You have two other brothers who will rise to the task, I’m sure.” Aldertree said shortly.

  
“If I may,” Maryse spoke up, and now her voice sounded as it always had, unshaken and determined. “Her Majesty said Alexander was to leave within three day's time. Is he meant to be traveling alone?”

  
“We have no other forces to spare,” Aldertree said. “The news of this event taking place has come very abruptly. Waiting to assemble a party to travel with him would take too much time and resources. We would insult the King with our delayed response any other way.”

  
“I’ll go with him.” Jace said.

  
“Jace,” Alec spoke.

  
“It is dangerous to travel such a distance alone. Surely it would seem careless of her Majesty to send a Knight unaccompanied, and to imply the Queens indifference and insult the King would make the whole point of this peacemaking for not, wouldn’t it?” Jace locked eyes with Aldertree, his posture still and his hands balled into fists on his knees. Aldertree looked him over with narrowed eyes.

  
“A fine point. You are welcome to travel with your brother, in that case.”

  
“Then I will go as well.” Izzy said.

  
“Isabelle,” Their mother hissed, “This is not the time nor the place. You are a woman, and this a dangerous journey, not a chance to make a scene.”

  
“Your mother is right, Lady Isabelle,” Aldertree looked to Izzy and his smile shifted with a predatory kind of glimmer. “Why ever would you want to go?”

  
“My brothers are intelligent and strong, and of course they are practiced in the way of manners, but none of them can boast the same diplomatic nature as I. I have studied the customs of Edom for years and know much more than either of them, and, try as they may to be well behaved, I am aware of nuances to the culture there that they are not.” Izzy sits tall, unafraid, and her eyes are sure and harsh as they look at Aldertree, “I will not allow my brothers to risk themselves for our kingdom only to have a miscommunication result in their deaths and war on our doorstep.”

  
Aldertree takes a moment to look over them all again, and something about the sweep of his gaze seems to grate away at Alec. “Your children are very eloquent indeed,” Aldertree says to Robert, before dropping his voice slightly and turning to Izzy, “And your beauty is not unknown, even here in Alicante. Surely, with your sharp mind and features, you will be of great assistance to your brothers.” He stands then, adjusting his buttons, “All expenses for necessary provisions for your trip will be covered by her Majesty. Any further questions will be directed to myself, a note will do. A servant will bring it to me, and I will reply as soon as I am able. For now, you have chambers to be shown to for the duration of your stay here in Alicante.” With another smile that doesn’t reach his eyes, Aldertree shows the Lightwood family to the door where servants are waiting. “Alexander,” He says as the step into the hall, “A word?”

  
Alec steels his jaw as he stops. He stands, shoulders back and hands clasped behind him as his family is shown down the hall and up a graceful looking stair case. He meets eyes with his siblings as they pass them, giving them a nod. One servant stands off to the side, waiting.

  
“Alec,” Is what he says.

  
“I’m sorry?” Aldertree replies.

  
“No one actually calls me Alexander.”

  
“Is that so? My apologies. I don’t plan to keep you, I just wanted to make a couple of things clear to you without the fanfare.” This isn’t a surprise. It only confirmed Alec’s growing suspicions, and he straightened and prepared himself.  
“It’s been mentioned a couple of times already, but part of the reason you were chosen was that your parents swore to the crown that you would never fall to the same proclivities as they had.”

  
“So I hear.”

  
“Though there is the unfortunate matter that no one trusts your family, despite our need to call on you in this time. Her Majesty, therefore, has asked that I pass a message onto you.” When Aldertree smiles this time, it is the most sincere smile Alec has seen from him. “In three days, you will ride out of Idris with only your siblings. The journey, on horseback, takes two weeks. Your remaining family will be invited to remain here in the castle while we await the news of your safe arrival in Edom.” Aldertree shifts closer to Alec, who does not move, but keeps firm eye contact as the shorter man leans in to whisper, “By all accounts, Alec, you sound like a smart young man. If you do not arrive in Edom or are deemed unfit for service to the Prince upon arrival, I will leave it to you to imagine what steps the Queen will be forced to make in order to protect her kingdom.” Aldertree leans back a bit, his smile gone, “And it will not take long to find Isabelle and Jace, either, with two kingdoms out on the hunt.”

  
They stare at each other for a long, frozen moment. Alec’s eyes as cold as ice, his expression stony. For the moments he processes the words, while Aldertree is looking back at up unflinchingly, mouth quirked up smugly, Alec does not breathe.

  
“In three days and two weeks, I will be in Edom.” He says, tone freezing. “And if I hear my family has been harmed in any way, I will have some very interesting information to pass onto the Prince about how his kingdom’s supposed _ally_ is in the habit of holding their people hostage and threatening their lives.”

  
“And you expect the Prince to care?” Aldertree spits back.

  
“I can’t say, but word spreads fast, and it was the Queen herself who described our relations to Edom as fragile. Now, if you excuse me, I have journey to begin preparing for.” Alec does not wait to be dismissed, though social protocol calls for it. He turns on his heels and marches the same way he saw his family go, and the servant left behind moves quickly to show him the way.

His family, he discovers, are all given chambers that clustered together, though they are all still in his parent’s rooms when he rejoins them, and they are shouting.  
“I can’t believe you’re standing here questioning _my_ decisions,” Izzy is saying as he steps into the room, “It wasn’t any of our choices that ended up with this situation. You’re concerned about our family name; I’m concerned about Alec’s _life._ ”

  
“Izzy,” he says, and their heads whip around to see him. “Calm down.”

  
“Calm down?” She yells, and in the same moment, Jace, whose face is like thunder, steps up to him.

  
“She’s right, Alec!” He spits. “How dare they drag us all the way to the capital to say they’re sending you to be at the mercy of some royal fuck for forever, and we’re, what, just supposed to just be okay with that?!”

  
“It’s not like I’ll be his servant,” Alec counters, his voice firm and full, “I’ll be a Knight for a Prince of another kingdom. And if you keep shouting like that in here, you’re going to get arrested for treason before you can follow me out of the gates.”

  
“Alec,” Maryse’s words are urgent, clipped, “We’ve been preparing you for the moment your destiny would come to meet you, and this is that moment. You must promise me that you’ll train as hard as you can, and be the best Knight you can be.”

  
“His destiny?! Are you kidding me!?” Izzy shouts. Maryse doesn’t look away from Alec, and he meets her gaze coolly.

  
“It’s a great honor to be chosen.” Robert agrees, and he steps forward to set a heavy hand on Alec’s shoulder. “Do us proud, Alec.” Izzy looks ready to pull her hair out, and Jace rounds on their father with his fists clenched, asking how it’s supposed to be some kind of honor to be ripped away from your family and all but banished from your own kingdom with no notice, and for the sins of your parents at that. Under the noise, Alec sighs through his nose. Max approaches him, eyebrows furrowed, and Alec bends down to be at his level.

  
“I don’t understand,” Max tells him. “I feel like I’m never going to see you again. Or Jace and Izzy.”

  
“You will, Max.” Alec reassures him and pulls him close. Max’s small arms wrap around his neck, and it’s the only small moment Alec takes for himself, eyes closed. He can feel Max’s heart beating wildly in his chest. There’s no real choice, Alec knows, but he breathes his little brother and promises himself that he will make sure that he does what it takes to protect this. “It’s going to take me a couple of weeks to get there, and then probably a few more to get settled, but then I’ll send you letters, okay? I’ll tell you about being a Knight, and all the kinds of training that I’m doing. Maybe you can come visit me, or I’ll send you books you’ve never read before. Edom books.”

  
Max does perk at that. “You’ll get a suit of armor and everything.” He says, thoughtfully.

“Yeah, probably.”

  
“And books I’ve never read.”

  
“If such a thing exists.”

  
“And I’ll visit.” Max lip trembles.

  
“As soon as I know it’s safe.” Alec promises. Max pulls him close again, and he looks over the small boy’s shoulder and sees that the others have quieted, for a moment. He thinks he sees a wetness in his mother’s eyes, but it’s gone from one blink to the next. Izzy doesn’t appear to be finished, though, and approaches him again as he stands.

  
“Do you know anything about Edom?” She asks, her voice tense and quiet, her eyes burning, “Do you know _anything_ about Magnus, Alec?”

  
“That’s why I’ll need you,” Alec tells her. “You’ll be with me. We’ll have Jace, and we’ll protect each other, and it’ll be fine Izzy.” Izzy’s mouth tightens, and she searches his eyes for a moment. What she’s looking for, she must not find, and she shakes her head and grabs Max’s hand as she storms out of the room.  
Alec turns to Jace, who still looks as mad as hell, but there’s resolution in his posture now with his arms crossed over his chest, his back straight.

“We need to make a plan, a list of things we’ll need before we set out.” Jace says, and Alec nods at him.

“There’s probably parchment in your room,” Robert says and grabs his wife’s hand. “Let us know if you need help with anything, three days can go by fast.” It’s a dismissal, but Alec can’t find it in himself to be offended. He’s even a bit relieved as he and Jace step out into the hall, and the sudden quiet has Alec taking the first deep breath in what’s only been a matter of a couple of hours, but the weight of those hours have felt like eons.

“No matter what anyone else says or does,” Jace says, his voice firm as they make their way down the hall and into Alec’s chambers, “You have me, and we’ll get through this together, okay, Alec?”

  
“Right.” Alec replies.

The following three days seem to fly by. Alec wants to spend as much time as he can with his youngest brother and his parents, but it’s hard to find time amongst all of the things he has to get done. Max comes with them as they buy horses and bed rolls and supplies. He gives his opinion about everything, and the constant stream of consciousness helps keep them moving forward. At times, it almost feels normal, picking out provisions and sorting who will carry which supplies, all the while explaining their reasoning to their youngest. But it never feels quite right. Partly due to the fact that the deadline of the time together hangs over them like an anvil, and partly because they are never allowed to leave the castle walls alone.

  
Their escort is rarely the same person, but always one of the servants. They hang back from the group, saying nothing and making no move to advise or discourage their decisions, but Alec watches them listen very closely to the things that they say. Alec’s parents are also kept very busy. It seems that either Aldertree or even the Queen herself is always calling on their presence to either be company or to discuss business matters involving Robert’s line of work. Alec see’s very little of them by the time they’re ready to go, the three siblings standing with their horses near the castle gates, Aldertree joining them as they say goodbye to their family.  
Max hugs them each tightly, reminding them all for the hundredth time about what they’ve promised him. Robert only hugs Izzy, but he grasps his son’s arms and shakes them, gripping tightly as he passes tips and tricks of traveling to each. Maryse hugs each of them as well, albeit quickly and politely. As her arms move around his shoulders, Alec sees his one chance, and turns his face into her hair to whisper in her ear.

  
“Keep yourself and Max safe.” He says. He wishes he could expand, tell her about the threats laid on her life. She pulls back from him, and he sees knowing and strength in her features. She nods and brushes his face with her thumb.

  
“The same goes for you.” She says, looking to his siblings, and back to him. He smiles.

  
“I will.” He promises.

  
“Fare-thee-well, Lightwoods,” Aldertree says with a polite smile, “And safe travels.”


	2. Chapter 2

The benefit to traveling as a group of three was that it was easy to slip through the kingdom of Idris relatively unnoticed. Alec and his siblings stuck mostly to the roads, but kept to themselves and stayed weary of anyone they crossed. Alec had insisted day one that they not reveal who they were or where they were going to anyone at any point, and despite nearly a week of moaning and complaining, he stayed resolute in this. Though, he was becoming much less patient about it. He had understood their dramatics when they did not know what kind of pressure they were really under, but on the second night of their journey, when they were far away from the capital and Alec had insured that they were truly alone in the wilds of the forest, he had confessed the truth to them about Aldertree’s threats. 

They had been furious, the both of them. Jace stormed around the camp, yelling till he was red in the face, kicking things around and eventually falling into a heavy quiet before taking an axe from his pack and heading outside of camp to bring back more firewood. Izzy had stayed seated by the fire, every muscle in her body tight, her fists clenched in her lap. She said little and stared into the fire, her eye’s entirely devoid of warmth. After Jace had left, she’d looked at Alec and said through clenched teeth, “It won’t happen, Alec. Everything will be fine.” 

That night, Alec had hoped that now that they understood, they would be able to push onward as resolutely and unfalteringly as Alec had been. Admittedly, in the physical sense, they had done so. Their party was making great time by hardly stopping in any town they came through, only camping out and going into markets as was necessary, and speaking to as few people as possible. In the verbal sense, though, absolutely nothing had changed. Jace and Izzy, at their cores, were fond of stranger’s company and soft beds and complained almost nonstop, and Alec was beginning to second guess his overwhelming relief at having his siblings by his side. 

“Why do you think they picked you as the knight, and not me?” Jace asked as he used his nails to pick food out from between his teeth. “We all know I’m the best fighter.” 

“Not much to look at, though,” Izzy shot back, “and sometimes when you bow you look like you’re going to fall onto your head.” 

“I am a vision of beauty and grace, lying only makes you look jealous, dear sister.” Jace replied. 

“Maybe you’d look it if we could actually take, oh I don’t know, a bath perhaps.” Izzy said, “Or if you had anything to wear that didn’t stink of dead animal.” 

“That’s the scent of hard work, Izzy, bask in it.” Jace lifted his arm and pulled his reigns to bring his horse closer to Izzy’s, who had already lifted a leg to kick at him when he came close. 

“Jace, I swear on The Angel, you come closer and I will make sure you don’t live to see this journey’s end!” She yelled. 

“Enough.” Alec barked at them. “Just be quiet, the both of you.” 

“Sorry, Mother,” Jace replied exaggeratedly, “how could we even think for one moment that anything but your beloved silence would be suitable for riding through what is really the most riveting and danger packed forest we’ve encountered yet?” 

Alec sighed heavily, and fantasized about twisting around to knock Jace over the head. It was a tempting thought, but he knew it wouldn’t do him much good. Aldertree’s conversation had left Alec more unsettled than he expected, and Alec felt he felt as though there were eyes watching them at every step of their journey. He’d certainly noticed the stares they got in town, but that could just as well be that people in these lands had very fresh memories of the war, and seeing travelers bearing the Queen’s mark heading into Edom made them cagey. Either way, the possibilities kept Alec on edge. He scanned the trees around them again, just to check. 

“Seriously, Alec, we’re not being followed. Even if you had somehow missed it, I wouldn’t have.” Jace said. 

“Oh yes,” Alec replied sarcastically, “You’ve not once ever missed anything, not on any of our hunting trips, or when we were playing in the house, or that time in town when we went to steal pie on a dare and you…” 

“Alright, it’s freakish, your memory, you know that?” Jace snapped back. “You can trust me this time, it’s not as though there is much else to do but look around.” 

Jace was wrong about that and they all knew it, but neither Izzy nor Alec corrected him. The reality of waited for them in Edom had been hitting Alec in waves, and up until this point none of them had discussed it. It seemed his siblings weren’t any more eager to dwell on it than Alec was, but within a day’s ride they would be crossing the border into Edom, and then it could no longer be avoided, and all the details of this situation would be have to be discussed. 

However, Alec thought as he heard Izzy and Jace resume arguing, any new and productive form of conversation might be welcome change of pace, regardless of what it was about. 

At the border, Edom looked to be the same kind of terrain as Alicante. But, as they crossed into formally enemy territory, Izzy had a lot to say about the changes they should expect to see. Given the closer proximity to the Seelie Realm, the land was supposed to be enriched with faint magic. A fraction as intense as the actual Seelie Realm itself, of course, but still more lush and warm than Alicante. This also lead to Izzy going on about the kinds of creatures that they might also encounter, bird species and small woodland creatures she’d only ever read about before. She listed a few off, and as she spoke her eyes glowed for the first time in days, adding new animas on excitedly as they came into her head. Jace’s spirits also seemed lighter then, and he laughed along with her and asked several questions in the vein of hunting said creatures. 

Alec’s spirits were anything but. The solid dread in his gut only grew as they moved along, a distant eventuality feeling more and more real as the foliage around them began to burst into more vibrant colors and supply. Every time Izzy needed to stop to gather samples of plants she recognized Alec reminded her to be wary of anything poisonous, and he found it much harder to sleep at night with the calls of unknown creatures echoing in the darkness around them. There were still a few days left ahead of them, and yet already things were becoming very different. And he learned about how they would only be more so when Izzy finally moved on from her gushing about the wildlife to actually discussing business. 

She spoke of the City of Edom and its size and grandeur, about how many different kinds of Downworlders lived there despite being more segmented out in the country. She knew some of how the royalty worked. The country was led by the King who kept a counsel of advisers. The advisers were traditionally representatives of each kind of Downworlder; Werewolves, Vampires, Warlocks, and Seelies. Each clan had their own methods of choosing their representatives, but the King had the final say in all decisions. Together, they made up the laws of the country and made large scale decisions about the state of the Kingdom. 

Beyond that, Izzy’s knowledge was more limited. Most everything she’d learned about Edom had all come from books written in Alicante. It had been hard to come by books from Edom after the war, but even if she had found one every so often, rarely were they textbooks on political structure. She did know a great deal about the customs, however, and the fashions, and for those she took the time to painstakingly lay them out for her brothers. How to bow, what was considered rude to each clan, and how to properly address the royalty and advisors were all topics she quizzed them on several times over. 

On the topic of the King himself, Izzy said it seemed Asmodeus was a cold, precise, and the cruel kind of monster both in battle and in how he ruled his people. He seemed ruthless in his laws and punishments. What she’d been able to learn about the King from a Downworlder perspective painted him as something to be feared, absolutely, but also as a leader capable of great effectiveness and prosperity. Before the war Edom had been fairing well and he wasn’t exactly unpopular, though many held harsh opinions about the bloody way he ruled. 

“Sounds like Mother,” Jace joked. 

“Mother would make an excellent dictator,” Izzy sighed in agreement. 

“Any word on the Prince?” Alec asked. Izzy seemed thoughtful. 

“Well, it’s hard to say,” She admitted. “There’s not much about him I know. He’s the son of a concubine, and I never heard him mentioned until after he was crowned. Though I did hear it was because of his displays of skill and power with his magic. He spent some time with the Silent Brothers, as well. It’s also been made abundantly clear that he’s very good looking.” 

Alec’s nose wrinkled and Jace scoffed. 

“Anything else?” He asked. 

“These are mostly rumors, but I’ve heard he’s very different in temperament to his father. He created one of the most popular dance halls in the kingdom and commonly entertains there, I hear the parties are breathtaking. I’ve also heard he’s approachable and generous, he seems very well liked by the people.” 

None of this made Alec feel any better. It seemed he dreaded the idea of serving a lackadaisical, drunken playboy only minorly less than a cruel, cold blooded warlord. What if Magnus Bane was a pompous, soiled child who spent the rest of his life humiliating Alec for the entertainment of himself and any guest? What if the good will he showed was only a guise, and he really was more like his father, would he just throw Alec into the dungeon to be tortured at his whim until Alec eventually died? 

There wasn’t much Izzy could tell him about what his position would look like. What she’d read hadn’t mentioned anything like it except for in passing, and what had been written was about as much as they’d already been told. “I know that this form of knighthood is commonly referred to as the Sentinel,” Izzy offered, “and that it sounds something like a personal guard kind of employment, a good will thing.” 

“Like an arranged marriage but with swords.” Jace chipped in, unhelpfully. 

On their last night alone together, they made camp on a hilltop that overlooked the capital. It was made up of a wide valley of farmland set into the mountains that built up into bursting and twisting array of buildings that made up the outer city and finally the tall walls that surrounded the inner city and castle that was built into the side of the tallest mountain in the valley. It looked like a mess to Alec, the roads crooked and jolting in various directions, and the buildings were riots of different colors and architectural designs obvious even from so far away. Izzy seemed beside herself to see it though, and Jace brightened as well. They settled down close together, like they used to do when they were children, and stayed up late looking at the lights of the city. 

“We will find the best way to make this work, Big Brother.” Izzy promised. She reached out of her sleeping bag and grabbed one of Alec’s hands and one of Jace’s from where she lay between them. “We Lightwoods are smart, and we stick together.” 

“Absolutely.” Jace agreed. 

“We’re going to have to,” Alec said, “our whole kingdom depends on it.” 

The next day they ride through rural lands and into the lower city, where they plan to spend their last night before going to meet the King and the Prince the following morning, on Izzy’s advice. “We need to bathe and shop,” She’d said, leaving no room for argument, not that she would have faced any, despite how unhappy Alec was with the idea. He knew very well how necessary they were, and honestly he looked forward to warm food, a hot bath and new clothes so badly he salivated at the thought, but what cold reception he’d been paranoid about in Alicante had tripled in Edom. 

They had run into only a few Downworlders on their travel, thankfully, but those that they had encountered had been less than kind. No outright attacks had been made, but the three siblings had been on the receiving ends of all kinds of angry stares and mumbled words. Women who pulled their children away and men who spat at their feet as they went past. Nothing about any of it was subtle. And Alec couldn’t imagine any of it would get better the closer they got to the capital. The ride into the city was long, and quiet. Conversations stopped as they passed, people went into the houses, and several inns put up their “no vacancy” signs. 

Alec began to wonder if they would find a place to stay at all, but as nightfall came and they were in the thick of the outer city, Jace announced he’d found them loggings. Alec was helping Izzy put all their newly purchased clothes into their packs, and they looked skeptically at each other. “What?” Jace went on, “Don’t act so surprised, I’m really that charming.” 

“Jace, be serious, how do you know it’s not a trap?” Alec growled.

“Well, lucky for us, most people seem to already know who we are.” Jace smiled, “And I paid double.”

.-.-.-.-.

When the King’s announcement about the Sentinel Knighthood was made amongst a meeting with the Council, Magnus had really done his best to keep his composure. There had been a time, when he was younger, that the news of this magnitude, concerning his life, would have genuinely sent him into a rage. An earth shaking, thunder storming kind of rage. Which of course was still there, bubbling under the surface of his skin, but Magnus kept it held down and locked tight. He had smiled instead, laughing with the court around him at what wonderful news it was, so nice to see such traditions making their return, and when he was excused from the meeting he sounded very pleasant when he asked a servant to send message to Lady Catarina Loss and Lord Raphael Santiago to meet him in his chambers immediately. He’d spun a portal to his room, and when he stepped out of the other side, his face twisted when he saw Ragnor already looking comfortable on his favorite couch. 

“Of course you’re already here,” Magnus sneered. 

“Oh, where you sending for me? How thoughtful.” 

“I’d purposely avoided it, as a matter of fact.” 

“Perfect, then Cat and Raphael will be along shortly then.” Ragnor said, and raised a cup of tea to his lips. Magnus didn’t bother to restrain his eyes rolling and moved to the bar cart along the wall of his chambers. He poured a very liberal amount of alcohol into the drink, and then drank about half before he refilled the cup and made his way to his second favorite couch. 

“You will explain yourself.” Magnus said, resolutely. 

“Of course, your highness.” Ragnor replied flippantly. Before they could get into it, a knock came to the door, and Magnus turned as it opened. Cat and Raphael arrived together, neither looking as wildly upset and concerned as they should have. 

“We heard,” Cat said straight out. She went to the cart to pour herself a glass of wine, which Raphael skipped all together to stride over and stand near Ragnor. 

“How much are we expecting you to overreact to this?” He asked dully. 

“Overreact?” Magnus hissed, “Once again, my life is used a pawn for my father’s bidding. Entirely at his will, and for what? Tradition? That’s ridiculous, there is always something more, and I am now supposed accept a knight into my personal service, and not ask any questions as to what true motive the bastard might actually have?” 

“And you’re not talking?” Raphael raised his eye at the green tutor, also a member of the court, who looked very offended at the question. 

“I don’t have anything to tell you.” Ragnor said. “I am not the confidant of the King, I’m not even one of his closer held advisors.” It was a line Magnus had heard thousands of times since he had come to live in the castle, and he sighed when he heard the dead end he knew it to be. Magnus knew the power his father had, and why even if he didn’t want to, Ragnor would have to obey him. He knew it as well as he knew Ragnor was secretly just as fond of Magnus as Magnus was of him, and would keep his secrets as well as he seemed to keep the King’s. 

“A Shadowhunter for a shadow,” Cat smirked at Magnus, “What fun I’m sure he’ll be, I bet he’ll love the nightlife.” 

“What am I going to do with a Shadowhunter? Why would my father bring a Shadowhunter to guard me? It can’t just be a dominance move against Idris, if that was his goal, I can think of greater, more meaningful ways of doing that than this. There’s a piece missing, here, what does my father get from this?” 

“Sadistic satisfaction.” Catarina threw out. 

“My father isn’t stupid enough to act on ego alone.” Magnus said He pushed his hands through his shock of blue bangs and sighed. “Please just, keep your ears to the ground. Anything you hear about who’s being sent, I need to know.” 

“That I can do.” Raphael said, Cat nodding with him. 

“Maybe you should talk to Luke.” Ragnor said. Magnus blinked at him. 

“The Werewolf Advisor?” He said, and then got it, “He’s the Captain of the Guard, he’ll be training the knight. And he was once a Shadowhunter.”  
“And in being the Alpha, he has all the information his wolves are so good at gathering.” 

“You do have your uses after all, Dear Cabbage.” Magnus purred. He moved as if to come closer, but Ragnor scoffed as if Magnus were slow, and shoved him away. 

As the days passed, information trickled in. From Catarina, Magnus learned that the party was made up of the three eldest children of the Lightwood family. From his lessons Magnus remembered the name, and felt no love for it. Never the less, it only added to his suspicions. Why would his father want the son of former Circle members as the Knight to his only heir? Did he plan to have Magnus killed? No, surely that was too obvious (but not entirely out of the question, as it has always been). 

Raphael told him that it had been reported that the three siblings (a cocky blonde man, a smart and flirtatious young woman, and a stoic dark haired man) acted very casually around each other. Magnus had to cross reference several different sources, all very poorly kept, to come to the conclusion that his knight, supposedly the eldest of the family (as Ragnor had said), must be Alexander Lightwood. Now, as to which of the two men that was meant to be, he couldn’t guess. 

Ragnor’s suggestion had been a good one as well. Magnus had known the Captain of the Guard since his arrival to the castle, and dared to say they were close enough to speak casually with one another. Magnus even knew his daughter, a little. When he turned the corner and saw Luke out on the training field, concluding a session with his men, it had been a relief to see a friendly face. 

“Alright, Simon,” Luke said to a rather scrawny looking Vampire. “That was better, but remember, you have to focus on some sounds, and drown out others.” 

“Right, still working on that part. The clash of weaponry and armor though, Sir, honestly, is going to make my ears bleed.” 

“You’ll live,” Luke said, voice warm and fond. Magnus cleared his throat as he gets closer, and the young knight, Simon, nearly jumped out of his skin. 

“Your Highness! Majesty? Hoooooliness?” Simon rambled. 

“Magnus will do.” He replied, graciously. 

“Good to see you, Magnus.” Luke said, and sounded like he meant it. “I was wondering when you were going to come looking for me.” 

“Anyone tell you to expect me?” Magnus raised an eyebrow. 

“Well I’m going to be training your new knight, aren’t I?” Luke replied. “I don’t know much about him, you probably have figured out more than me.” 

“And what do I have to do for you to tell me anyway, and keep telling me about him after you meet him?” Magnus asked. 

Luke looked amused. “You could always order me to, Your Highness.” Magnus scoffed. To Simon, Luke said, “Alright, go home. I’m sure Clary’s waiting on you,” and Simon looked more than happy to be dismissed. Alone, Luke turned back to him, and waved a hand. 

“Ask your questions, Magnus, I’ll tell you what I can.” 

“Have you heard that there are things you cannot tell me?” Magnus asked. 

“The King, nor his minions, have never instructed me to treat you any way but princely, and do not talk to me outside of the confines of my position. Ragnor has told you about the downfalls of overly paranoid royalty, though, hasn’t he?” 

“Only constantly, all the time.” Magnus smiled, “Though perhaps endless tales of murderous abuses of power did not provide the lesson he imagined it would.” Luke laughed at that. A quiet moment passes between them. Magnus knew that Luke did not like to speak of Shadowhunters, or of his time as one of them. But, needs must, and Magnus decided if Luke wanted to tell him off, he could. 

“You knew his parents, didn’t you?” Magnus asked. Luke sighed. 

“I was very close with them once, yes. Maryse and Robert are their names. Robert has always been a man of duty, he rose in ranks quickly that way. Not much for social gatherings, but very smart. Maryse, on the other hand, well. She was passionate about everything, bull headed, and unflinching in her convictions.” 

“Did you ever meet their son?” 

“Maybe once or twice, never officially. He was maybe one or two years old the last time. He was a quiet kid. All I heard about him after the fact was that he was the reason that The Clave gave his parents a reduced sentence.” 

“And his siblings, you never knew them?” 

“I can’t even say how many siblings he has.” Luke said patiently. “If he’s anything like his parent’s though, he’s probably going to be a lot for you to handle.” 

Their conversation had done more to irritate Magnus’s anxieties than to soothe them, but overall he had walked away from his conversation with Luke feeling a bit more prepared than before. In the end, Magnus would not have much time to grapple with the implications of the information he was given anyway, as the party arrived not two days after their talk. Magnus woke up that morning, Ragnor already in his chambers with breakfast and news of the arrival, and together they went over (with much bemoaning and sarcasm) the rules and expectations one last time before Magnus was dressed and ushered quickly to his position at the side of the King to wait.

.-.-.-.-.

The next morning, there are soldiers at the inn that are there to escort their party to the castle. Jace peers at them from the window of their shared room. “We’ve been here maybe half a day? Unnerving how quickly they found us.” 

“We didn’t do a very good job of blending in, and word gets around fast.” Izzy responds from where she’s brushing out her hair yet again. “But it is a good thing we cleaned up already.” They’d bathed and dawned their new clothes over the course of the night, and now washed, fed, and somewhat rested, they are much better prepared to face what lay ahead. She smiled at her brothers, “We’ll just have to be charming.” 

Once fully dressed and gathered their belongings, they stepped outside to greet the soldiers and Alec moved forward to introduce himself first. He nodded to the soldiers, who nodded back. The first of the soldiers, the one who appeared to be in charge, was a woman with a fierce glare and short, dark curly hair on her head. Her helmet was tucked under her arm, and seem far less impressed with him than her companion, a pale man with short brown hair and quirked smile. “Shadowhunters.” The woman grunted by way of greeting. 

“Hello, I’m Alexander Lightwood, I believe you’re here to escort me to the castle.” He said. The woman looked him up and down, expression unchanging. 

“And them?” She prompted as she nodded towards Izzy and Jace who were finishing loading their horses and bringing them around. 

“My siblings.” 

“I’m Isabelle,” his sister said, voice dripping with honey as she came around Alec’s side raised her hand for the man to kiss. The man’s eyes went wide, and any composer he may have had fell out of his posture. 

“Oh,” he stammered, and quickly kissed her hand, “Uh, I’m Simon.” 

“Hi, Simon.” Izzy said sweetly. 

“Lewis.” The woman growled, and actual growl underlying in her voice, and Simon sprang away. 

“They sent their warmest welcoming party, didn’t they,” Jace snorted. The woman looked his horse, and them himself. 

“I could drag you off that horse right now and give you a welcome, wouldn’t even be hard.” She said. 

“Might be fun, though.” Jace replied with a wink. The woman looked ready to murder him there. 

“I apologize for my brother, Jace Harondale,” Alec cut in, “We’re not here to start any trouble.” The words hung between them for a moment, and the woman huffed and turned to her horse. 

“You can follow us to the castle, we’ll have the servants announce you.” She said. Simon looked between her and Izzy, whose hand he was still holding. He seemed to realize it after watching his superior storm off. 

“Oh, okay, uh, if Maya’s going I kind of have to…we’re going to show you the way!” He stammered, pointing to his own horse and then to hers. Izzy giggled at him. 

“Sounds like a plan.” She purred before he stumbled away. As they mounted their horses, Alec hissed at his siblings. 

“New plan, stop being charming.” 

“Tough crowd,” Jace said. 

“Relax, Alec,” Izzy smirked at him, “It’s a good idea to make friends. Though you, Jace, he’s right, stop whatever you were doing.” 

“Kick a guy while he’s down, why don’t you?” Jace groaned. Alec willed them to be quiet. The escorted ride through town did little to help lay a clear layout of the city in Alec’s head. There was little regularity between each of the streets, somehow, and though it was still in the earlier part of the morning, already the streets were beginning to fill with people, and all the attention that had fallen on them in the days before was doubled now. People stared openly and gasped when they saw them pass. 

“Don’t get a lot of Shadowhunter visitors I guess, huh?” Jace joked as he pulled in close to Izzy and Alec, eyeing the crowds with some suspicion. 

“Not any that aren’t in chains.” Maya replied flatly. Luckily, the journey was a short one, and soon the heavy wooden gates of the inner city were being pulled open, revealing the inner city and the Castle beyond. The castle of Edom was magnificent in all the ways that the castle in Idris was not. The castle was all thick stone walls and tall towers with swooping arches and ornate doorways, flying buttresses and gargoyles decorating its walls. Jace let out a low whistle when they rode through the gate into the castle courtyard. There a line of soldiers waiting, leading up to a man in decorated armor who was approaching them from the steps of the castle. 

“Hello,” Said the man with a nod, “I’m Luke Garroway, Captain of the Guard and Alpha to the Werewolf clan, and Advisor in the court.” Alec introduced himself and his siblings again, this time thankfully with no extra fanfare from his siblings. “It’s good to meet you. The rest of the court is already assembled inside, unless you have some objection, I’m to take you to the King.” 

“No objections, Captain.” Alec responded. He pulled himself up to his full height and squared his shoulders as he followed the Captain across the courtyard and up the stairs, his siblings behind him. The halls here were not as bright as the halls of Idris, but they were certainly ornate and beautiful none the less. Many thin windows cast light across the high vaulted ceilings that they walked through, servants stopping on their way to bow as they went by. Soon the Captain paused outside a set of large doors and turned to look at Alec. They nodded to each other once more, and Jace patted Alec’s shoulder once more, and then the doors were pulled open and they walked through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, look at that a whole new chapter. And it's only been a whole era since the first one!! 
> 
> Thank you for reading, and thank you to everyone who left comments and kudos and what not. I didn't reply, but I eventually worked up the nerve to read every last one, and thanks to the kind words of some, I am pleased to say that I do now have a full plan worked out of this story and will be posting chapters until it is complete. And also I hope to upload chapters more often than once a generation. 
> 
> I already have chapter three under way, so huzzah for that. 
> 
> Take a break, stretch if you need to, remember to unclench your jaw and I'll call you later ok love you bye.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> It is greatly gratifying to see the idea you've had bouncing around your head for a few months finally put together and online. So if nothing else comes of this chapter, I've at least got that. 
> 
> Please let me know what you thought, if you liked it, if you want all the time you spent reading it back, speak your truth, I thrive on the attention. Also if there's any errors of anything, feel free to point them out. I've read this piece like forty times so I've sure I've missed something that in there. 
> 
> Anyway, bye, have a good day, I love you.


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